Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1887-07-12
a WHOLE TOWN SWEPT AWAY.
Buildings Burned and Many Lives Sac
rificed.

80 WTICAE iSWN SNEFi AWAY.
buildings Burned and Many Lives Sac
rifced.
ASHLAND, Wis, July 11.-For the
fourth time in Its brief history the min
ing town Of Hurley on the Gogebic range
has been visited with terrible fire, this
time to the almost total destruction of
the town and the loss of nearly, if not
quite, a score of lives, and less than two
weeks ago, June rs, two blocks in the
business center were burned to the
ground in as many hours at a cost of
500 000. The tract devasted for the
fourth time was swarming with work
men, and In u short time would have
been rebuilt on a much larger scale than
before. The workmen laid down their
tools at 8 o'clock and drew their wages,
which two hours latsr many Of them
were spending in the numerous saloons
down town, Between 8 and 8 o'clock
the Alcazar theater, lager beer hall and
variety show, on Main street, was swarm-
ing with those and other patrons, gam
blers and attaches of the place. One of
the latter, q waiter, a girl and a variety
actress, went to the loft of the building
with an oil lamp. The lamp, 1t is pre-
sumed, she dropped, for almost immedi-
ately after her disappearance from the
lower floor a fame of fire shot skyward
from the roof of the building and a second
later The structure was ablaze from cell
lar up.
A large building, but like everything
else In Hurley constructed wholly Of fat
pine, it fell in instant prey to the fire.
The upper floors were filed with women
who realizing their terrible plight with
no possible escape from death, added
their screams to the already indescribable
chaos and through the glare these
wrstched creatures were seen and heard,
but for q moment before the flames
folded on them and swallowed them mr..
The Alcazar stood for less than half an
hour. The adjoining building was a
grocery abundantly stocked with coal
oil. The grocery took fire on the instant
and q barrel Of the oil was ignited and
an explosion followed and the doom of
the place was settled.
The town was built upon a north side
and extended from the Lake Shore rail-
road tracks southwark up to the summit
of the range. A street leads up from the
Lake Shore station past the Burton house,
a largo hotel, to the shaft Of the Ger
mania mine. Intsrsecting this street at
right angles and running along the bot
tom OF the slope east and west is Che
main street, and near the corner of these
two thoroughfares stood the AIcazar, to
the south and east of which, in q region
about o third of a mile square, lay almost
the entire city. The wind blew sharply
from the northwest, so that the little city
lay exactly in the pathway of the flames
as they arose from the Alcazar; building
after building succumbed as the FIRE
MARCHED east and northwest. Sparks and
cinders mounted on the. wind and were
sent far ahead with the message Of des:
truction. Every house was a wood-box
an5ssssourted the flames.
sssfs;e fire department whose chief, warn
cd by the disaster OF last month, had re-
sorted to the daily training OF his forces,
wRs found to be powerless In the general
panic. Men could not be ~oontrolle6 or
made to work, nor was this the worst.
Iike all mining camps Hurley swnrmad
VITA tin horn gamblers and roughs long
ago banished from more civilized com
munittss to such as these. A public dis
aster was Q private feast, for from work
ing to help the city, contributed to the
spread OF tho destruction, Carrying brands
Of fire Into buildings not yes touched and
ticking advantage Of the PANIC to Loaf at
large. Dozens OF the scoundrels vera
seen In tho street. boldly replacing their
worn garments with suits of clothes
snasched from the shelves Of tailor shops.
Nothing escaped their hands. They
seized bottles 81 liquor from the saloons
and drank till some OF theg, fell down
unconscious, iii the midst of the deyasta-
tiop ard were burned to death.
Within an hour everything Ia Hurley
cast OF the streab running Sp tbs hIh
was ia ashes and the people such as had
themselves escaped the flames were either
wildly rushing about the edge Of the
ruins or else standingson the brow Of fhh
hill stupidity starting at the terrible
scene. The Burton house by pfreat rSod
fortune was rarely saved fhourh the
flames st one tifne crossed the street and
cot under its roof, and there many thna
found shelter who must otherwise have
spent the night In the woods. a num-
Der OF these who had saved some mo-
psfty from the FIRE Of two weeks d
were chartered In the DISTRICT now
burned and by the second visitation losb
all their possessions, No attamnt hHs
yet been made TO estimate the f1nanciaI
loss. Most OF the bd9ned buildings
were rude but many OF them congsinaH
valuable stocks and some Of the saloons
were extensively fitted mn. Nearly. IL
not quite a hundred and dfty buildings
were consumed. Among these were tina
bank OF hurley and the Auerican Ex-
press eompany's of5ce whose safea ara
~,srSlI~ x,rx.sk.d a. 80 1920
church Was also burned.
Burton hotal and : sr,a1,ar hataI 49,.